4 of 4Combined with a crisp six-speed manual transmission, the 2.4-liter inline-four found under the hood of the 2012 Honda Civic Si Navi makes the car fairly athletic.

Photo by Honda

ASSOCIATE EDITOR JAKE LINGEMAN: This is my second time in a Honda Civic Si in the past few months. What I liked about the coupe, I also like in the sedan: comfortable seats, a clean dash and a relatively strong naturally aspirated engine—mostly the engine.

What we sometimes forget with all the turbo and supercharging for efficiency is that a naturally aspirated engine can really bring the performance out. The Si has a nice kick in gears one through five and almost anywhere in the rev range. The clutch pedal is light, but has just enough weight to give it some feel. I'd be confident teaching someone to drive a stick shift on this car.

I'm much less enamored with the body than I used to be. The Civic hasn't really looked good for two generations to my eyes, but at least it's clean and not too gaudy.

The interior looks and feels a little cheap with hard plastic surfaces everywhere and some mismatched panel gaps.

I do appreciate the simple gauge cluster and console. The tachometer sits centered in between the top and center of the wheel while the digital speed readout is just above. The important stuff is dead center. The radio and climate controls are easy to operate as well. I'm a big fan of the VTEC shift lights: yellow, yellow, yellow, red! The power percentage screen next to it didn't interest me as much.

This car is about $1,000 more than the Mazda MazdaSpeed 3 and Volkswagen Jetta GLI. I'd take both of those over this—the Mazda because it has about a third more horsepower, and the GLI for its refinement.

NEWS EDITOR GREG MIGLIORE: The slick and easy-shifting six-speed stands out most prominently to me after a night in the Si. The clutch is smooth, takeup is quick and intuitive and the throws are just short enough to feel sporty. It's an eager partner for the naturally aspirated four-cylinder, which offers adequate power and can be managed in an effective fashion for enthusiasts. The chassis is another highlight, as the Civic feels tight, composed and balanced. Overall, it makes for a reasonably athletic package, and when I merged onto an expressway in front of a blacked-out Ford Mustang GT, I surprisingly shot into open space with the Ford in my wake. I was ahead to begin with, but I think the driver assumed he would be blitzing past upon entering traffic. By working the gears aggressively and nailing the throttle, I set the pace for awhile.

Despite the somewhat sporty nature of this machine, it won't beat you up. It's far more comfy—and less powerful than the Mazdaspeed 3, and much less intense. I would take a bit more power, perhaps 30 hp, to make the Si trim truly come alive.

The negatives are primarily aesthetic. The looks inside and out are pedestrian, with little to draw in and hold an enthusiast. The materials inside the cabin look substandard, though the seats and stitching do present well. It's a solid car, but not at the top of my list.